Laugh a lot at 'Spamalot'

Charlie Krebs has a keen sense of humor and a booming laugh, and when the Lakeland College associate professor of theatre and speech thinks something's funny, it's pretty obvious.

If you take an evening stroll past Lakeland's Bradley Theatre these days, you might just hear the unmistakable sound of Krebs cracking up. With rehearsals for Lakeland's spring musical, Monty Python's "Spamalot," in full swing, laughter is definitely in the air.

"This play is enormously funny," says Krebs with a big smile. "There have been nights when I was working on the script at home, and I started laughing so hard I couldn't stop. It's especially funny if you're a fan of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' but even if you're not, Spamalot is still very, very funny."

Lakeland Theatre's production of "Spamalot" debuts on Thursday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. with additional shows scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 27-29 and at 2 p.m. March 30. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for non-Lakeland students. They can be purchased in advance using the form below, by contacting Deb Fale at or 920-565-1536.

"Spamalot" is a musical parody of the monster 1975 comedy, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." "Spamalot," which debuted on Broadway in 2005 and won three Tony awards, is about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

"So many people know and love Monty Python, and 'Spamalot' has had a really good run (on Broadway)," says Krebs. "It's funny and irreverent, just a great show.

"'Spamalot' has never been performed in Wisconsin, outside of Milwaukee and Appleton," says Krebs, adding, "When I found out the rights were available, I almost passed out I was so excited."

By opening night, Lakeland's student-actors will have rehearsed for nine weeks, a couple more than usual.

"I think it's a really fun show," says Lakeland actress Katherine Zielsdorf, a sophomore from Kenosha. "It's got a lot of good British humor, and I think it's something the audience is really going to enjoy."

Most of Lakeland's plays over the past few years, including "Fiddler on the Roof," "Soli Deo Gloria" and "Equus," have been on the dramatic and serious side, Krebs says.

"And there's nothing wrong with that, but it's time to have some fun," Krebs says. "And that's exactly what this play is – enormously fun. We laugh together during rehearsal all the time."

Adds Zielsdorf: "It's more fun for me to do comedy. When you're doing a serious play, you're not getting a lot of audience reaction, so it's more fun to do a comedy so you can get reaction from the audience and up your performance a little more."